Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Take the poll: What should I publish next?

I always assumed Sylvia Plath wrote those words. But even the Internet isn't sure. It's true, though. Writing isn't difficult. It's something you're just sort of compelled to do.

But rewriting, editing, publishing - that shit is hard. It takes money, dedication and time. End result being I have three (count ‘em) novellas finished. And zero energy to brush them up and get them out the door. I need to pick one and focus. So what do you want to read next?

To Guns is the third book in the Sin and Nicki series. It’s a full-tilt, neo-Western shootout, putting the two in a Mexican standoff with meth dealers and Italian assassins in the middle of the Colorado Rockies. Tonally, it's close to Sin Walks Into The Desert. While it makes sense on its own, Nicki's storyline is based on her actions in Regret Things.

The Last Child Missing is the third Owl and Raccoon novella. Like the others, it begins with the detectives showing up on the scene of a seemingly impossible kidnapping. The entire timeline takes place in one six-hour period, as they race to uncover how a five-year-old vanished from a crowded bus on the first day of school. It can stand on its own, but the climax will hit you harder if you’ve read the other two novellas, starting with The Single Staircase.

The third book is named Sever. It’s a new genre for me. The story is about a college campus that’s simultaneously set upon by four axe murderers, two of them serial killers. It’s a horror story, gory as hell. And it’s also a first-person love letter to those four magic years when you feel invincible, like you can drink and have sex and sleep late and lie in the sun and never die.

My marketing brain says there's no rush to publish any of this stuff. I have some good opportunities coming up for Regret Things, and it makes sense to ensure it gets traction before moving on to another book. But fuck it. What are you most excited about reading? Let me know in the poll at the top of my righthand sidebar.

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Photo courtesy of Chris Sessions

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Buy Not With A Bang

A gunman takes over a city bus. And when the siege ends, one of the hostages has vanished. Owl & Raccoon #3 stays true to everything that has made this series a hit.

Buy Single Staircase

A baby vanishes from a locked third floor nursery. The first Owl & Raccoon mystery is equal parts police procedural and locked room puzzle.

Get Sin on Amazon

"No one walks off into the sunset, no one is a hero. Sin Walks Into The Desert is a taut, suspenseful tale without a wasted word or scene." - IndieReader.com

Sever on Amazon

"Sever is both a carefully-crafted paean to the sweetness of college life, and a nightmare-inducing horror story full of blood, murder, and fear." - IndieReader

The Baby Monitor

A horror novella about kids, insomnia and the dark corners of the American dream. Click to check it out on Amazon.

WDYG on Amazon

A teenage girl walks into a mall bathroom and vanishes into thin air. The second Owl & Raccoon novella is part gritty police procedural and part classical locked room puzzle.

Buy Regret Things

"[T]he rolling smooth language of this sexy noir takes you in, it walks you into a warm bath of trouble you didn’t realize would feel so good." - SF Book Review

To Guns on Amazon

"Ingwalson once again uses his trademark smooth, noir style to draw the reader into the novella while not distracting from the action at hand." - Manhattan Book Review

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